Costa Rica

Sky Adventures Arenal Park — Sky Adventures Zipline

Before traveling to Costa Rica, we’d read that it’s one of the happiest countries in the world. It didn’t take long to understand why. Their motto, “Pura Vida,” means simple, or pure life… being thankful for what they have and not dwelling on the negative. From the moment we stepped off the plane at the Liberia airport, we were surrounded by kindness, smiles, beauty and peace.

Not wanting to drive ourselves in an unknown country, we pre-arranged to have a driver take us from the airport to our ecolodge near the Arenal volcano. On the way, we stopped for a hike through the Mistico Park, Arenal Hanging Bridges.

Along our walk, we saw coati, exotic birds, waterfalls, and views of Arenal Volcano National Park - including Lake Arenal and its namesake volcano, one of seven historically active volcanoes in Costa Rica. The youngest of the volcanoes, Arenal last erupted in 2010, but has been dormant since.

We stayed at the Arenal Observatory Lodge - a cool ecolodge set at the base of Arenal Volcano, down a long dirt and gravel road. The 870-acre property is the only lodge located within Arenal Volcano National Park. While there, we dined in the El Jiguero (The Goldfinch) restaurant, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the lake and volcano, and sat on the observatory deck, watching for as many of the 500 species of birds living there as we could spot.

There are 7 miles of maintained trails on the property, and frequent guided walks for guests. We relaxed by the pool for a bit; climbed to the top of The Nest - a 28-meter-high observation tower - for a sunset view of Arenal and Cerro Chato volcanos, Lake Arenal and the Tilarán Mountain Range; and hiked out to the Frog Pond where we were serenaded by a nighttime frog song.

The concierge at Arenal Observatory Lodge helped us book excursions in nearby Fortuna, as well as arrange transportation to and from the lodge.

First, we went ziplining - a must in Costa Rica! - at Sky Adventures. Sky Trek zipline adventures features stunning views of Lake Arenal and the surrounding volcanoes, while you zip hundreds of feet above the rain forest canopy. It’s not for the faint of heart though… As I landed from the last zipline on the adventure, the “Big Daddy,” my Apple watch alerted me, asking if I had taken a fall…? Nope! Just had my heart racing and a fast stop. Holy smokes! What a rush!!!

Next, we visited the Don Juan Coffee & Cacao plantation for a tour and tasting. On the tour, we learned about the growing and production process of both coffee and chocolate beans. We got to grind the cacao beans and make our own chocolate bar, then grind and brew our own authentically Costa Rican coffee.

Some fun facts we learned…

Vanilla grows on a parasitic vine that thrives by winding around other tree trunks
Banana trees are actually a weed that fruit only once, then must be cut down
Cacao beans are sweet and slimy until fermented, dried and processed into chocolate
Arabica coffee beans ripen at all different times, and therefore still have to be picked by hand

After a few days in the rainforest, we headed back to the northwestern coast of Costa Rica to the Guanacaste region. There, we stayed at the Occidental Grand Papagayo all-inclusive resort. Our week at the resort was filled with massages on the beach, caipirinhas and chili-guaro shots, and lounging by the pool.

We’d pre-arranged a couple of excursions with Frank-the-Tank CR (including a daytrip to Nicaragua), but also took advantage of the onsite services for some local activities, including a sunset snorkeling trip and kayaking to Pelican Island.

We cannot recommend Frank-the-Tank CR excursions highly enough! They were well coordinated, fun and informational. The first trip we took was to the Rio Celeste Waterfall in the Tenorio Volcano National Park. We were a group of 13 tourists from 4 countries and 3 U.S. states; all different ages and backgrounds; all excited for an adventure.

After a convenient pick-up at our hotel, our guides - Carlos and Jenner - stopped a few times for us to catch a glimpse of local wildlife (sloths, toucans, etc.), as well as a quick stop to see the Llanos del Cortez waterfall. At Rio Celeste, Carlos led us on a 2-mile hike that included 262 steps down to the waterfall lookout, then back up again. The water was the most beautiful shade of turquoise! Along the path, he shared interesting tidbits about the flora and fauna, always on the search for cool things to show us (like the hole that was home to a tarantula).

While we couldn’t swim at either waterfall, the very hot hike earned us a break at a beautiful swimming hole just downstream from Rio Celeste. The water was cold, but so blue and inviting, it was perfect!

One of the special perks of exploring Costa Rica with Carlos was his passion for his country and his people. Of course he took us to the notable destinations, but even more special were the little side stops we made including a family-owned coffee plantation, a quaint “soda” (local restaurant) where we had casado for lunch (a typical Costa Rican meal consisting of rice, black beans, plantains, salad and a protein), and a butterfly garden that we walked through after lunch. Last but not least, was our stop to see the sloths - Costa Rica’s beloved national animal.

We had one “down day” between excursions, so we took a taxi to Coco Beach. We browsed through many of the little souvenir shops - of course talking with the locals and learning more about their country - and snacked our way up and down the street… Capuccinos and gelato, guacamole and margaritas, fresh coconut milk right out of the shell, octopus poke and Greek salad, and of course more caipirinha cocktails!

After leaving the Guanacaste Region, we headed southeast to the capital city of San José. Roughly a three-and-a-half-hour trip, our driver - Errol - planned some special stops along the way. First we stopped at Natuwa, a volunteer-run wildlife sanctuary, home to birds and wild animals who have been injured, raised in captivity or moved from their native environment due to deforestation, and are no longer able to survive in the wild. The tour was simultaneously sad and inspiring.

Next we stopped in the small fishing village of Puntarenas for another typical Costa Rican lunch. Located on a small peninsula in the Gulf of Nicoya, it was the perfect place to get fresh seafood, including fresh ceviche and arroz con mariscos. We also stopped at a couple of roadside fruit stands for snacks later in our hotel. The plethora of fresh fruits is incredible and required a lesson from the ever-patient Errol to know exactly what we were eating.

San José was vastly different than the Arenal and Guanacaste regions. Like we have in so many other urban cities we’ve visited, we spent the day exploring the capital city on foot. We stayed at the Santo Tomas Hotel & Wellness Center, a registered historic landmark built in 1908, centrally located just blocks from San José’s Central Avenue. We walked through Morazán Park, filled with numerous sculptures, and Parque Central de San José (Central Park of San Jose). We toured the Museo National, walked along Graffiti Wall, sipped cappuccinos at the National Theater of Costa Rica, and stopped to say a prayer in the Metropolitan Cathedral of San José.

The last day of our two-week adventure - and possibly our favorite - was spent white water rafting down the Pacuare River. We booked a group tour and took a ride about 2 1/2 hours east of San Jose - heading toward the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. To our surprise, the tour turned out to be just the two of us and our two guides - Diego in the raft with us and Jorge kayaking alongside for safety.

Our trip down the river was 30k (approx. 18 miles) and featured four class 4 rapids, eight class 3s, and several class 2s. The idea of that was intimidating to me since it was my first white water experience, but Diego made it easy and fun!

Along one side of Río Pacuare is the rain forest where some of Costa Rica’s indigenous people live. One family welcomed us to their home where we enjoyed a buffet lunch halfway into our trip down river and learned a bit about how they live.

All along the river, we saw so many birds and butterflies and waterfalls. And… the Pacuare Lodge, possibly a destination for our next visit to this beautiful country!

As with many places we visit, the people we meet from around the world make the experience even more memorable. By the time we left Costa Rica, we’d met people from eight different countries and 12 of the United States. Small world that it is, Jorge, one of our rafting guides, had spent some time as a guide on the American River out of Coloma, California - the area we lived near before moving to the Midwest!

Nicaragua

A day in Charleston, SC